Saturday, January 6, 2018

My genealogy life began in March 1995. I was in Ohio for a maternal cousin’s funeral. My sisters, cousin, and I were visiting my dad’s grave in Ferncliff Cemetery, Springfield, Clark County, Ohio. It was my first trip back to Ohio since 1974 (my family had moved to Warner Robins, Houston County, Georgia, in 1973).

As we were gathered around his final resting place, we were talking about how much we did not know about his family. It was suggested since I did not work outside the home, I should find out about them. And so it began.

Once I returned home, I obtained my Mamaw Campbell’s (Leona Myrtle Allen Campbell) obituary from the Clark County Public Library in Springfield. I had a little knowledge about her family as I had attended some Allen family reunions as a child and visited the family cemetery in Pike County.

Her obituary led to many more obituaries and vital certificates for her family and the family of my Grandpa Campbell (Henry Clinton Campbell) whom I never knew as he died in 1939, 20 years before my birth. I also contacted “new” cousins on both lines. Some of them knew about me and others had photos of family members. I saw my Grandpa Campbell for the first time thanks to a photo shared by a cousin.

In 1996, I made my first genealogical research trip to Ohio with my sister Holly. My first stop was the Crispin Cemetery in Highland County, Ohio. I have been visiting Ohio 2-3 times a year since. I also have visited many other states researching my ancestors and those of my husband including Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

Even though I have now been researching almost 23 years, I feel it is,“Only the beginning, only just the start,” as my favorite artist Robert Lamm sings.